We’re now just a few days away from the beginning of December, and less than a month away from Christmas. You’re likely already hearing Christmas music played non-stop on your car radio, at the grocery store, in restaurants, and at work.
Videos by American Songwriter
However, instead of being subjected to the continuous loop of holiday classics like “White Christmas” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” which we still think are incredible by the way, we want to remind you of your autonomy. You can find your own Christmas-themed music to listen to that isn’t as mainstream and overplayed. And, to help you on this quest, we’ve compiled eight of our favorite hip-hop Christmas tracks that earn less acclaim than the traditional jolly tunes.
Check out the list below.
8. “Christmas at Swae’s,” Swae Lee (2018)
Released simultaneously with his brother and fellow Rae Sremmurd bandmate Slim Jxmmi’s “Nothing for Christmas” bop, Swae Lee’s “Christmas at Swae’s” ballad gave the hip-hop world a tender, seasonal cut.
I didn’t have you under my tree this Christmas
But I had you all over my wish list
Oh oh oh, whoa
You’re not under my mistletoe
7. “Holiday,” Lil Nas X (2020)
Used as another chart-topping hit to continue beefing up his epic run of singles early in his career, Lil Nas X’s “Holiday” (2020) subtly and cleverly tied in winter motifs into a trap-rap-inspired banger.
Ayy, it’s a holiday
I got hos on hos and they out of control, yeah
Ayy, this another one
All my n****s on go and I hope that you know it
6. “The Return,” Chance the Rapper (2020)
Over a year after his widely-critiqued debut studio album The Big Day (2019), Chance the Rapper connected with esteemed, harmonious R&B act Jeremiah for their joint Christmas project Merry Christmas Lil Mama: The Gift That Keeps on Giving. Though the entire LP did not stay committed to the holiday motif, the intro “The Return,” solely including vocals from Chance, saw the Chicago rap phenom mix his angst about The Big Day criticism with impressive allusions to the holiday season.
5. “Sleigh Ride,” TLC (1992)
Released in 1992, TLC’s rap-infused, melodic track “Sleigh Ride” ended up in Christmas projects two years in a row. Initially, the song was used in the soundtrack for the ’92 flick Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The next year, it was added to A LaFace Family Christmas, a compilation record full of holiday-themed songs by artists signed to LaFace Records, which included Toni Braxton, OutKast, Usher, and more.
4. “Christmas Rappin’,” Kurtis Blow (1980)
Not only was “Christmas Rappin'” one of the first rap tracks made about Christmas, but it was also a fundamental recording that helped Kurtis Blow get his big break in music. With the help of his manager Russell Simmons and New York DJ Frankie Crocker, “Christmas Rappin'” was the first single Blow released under a record deal.
“[On] Christmas morning, Frankie Crocker played the record,” Simmons said in an interview for the 2016 documentary The New Guard. “I couldn’t believe it. I was upstairs, I was smoking a joint in the attic. ‘Oh, shit,’ I ran downstairs and there it was, ‘Christmas Rappin” on the radio. Next thing I know, I was on a plane going to Amsterdam. The record was playing all over Europe.”
[RELATED: When is it Too Early to Start Listening to Christmas Music? American Songwriter Weighs In]
3. “Santa Claus Goes Straight To the Ghetto,” Snoop Dogg, Bad Azz, Tray Deee, Nate Dogg, and Daz Dillinger (1996)
Giving a more cutthroat, gangsta-toned update to James Brown’s all-time classic holiday hit “Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto,” Snoop Dogg and his Death Row Records affiliates crafted this standout track for the label’s 1996 compilation album Christmas On Death Row.
2. “St. Brick Intro,” Gucci Mane (2016)
Though Gucci Mane’s 2016 LP The Return of East Atlanta Santa was released nine days before Christmas and saw him donning a Santa suit in the cover art, only a few of the tracks actually included holiday imagery in the lyrics. But, one of those happened to be “St. Brick Intro,” where Gucci fittingly combined his southern rap braggadocio with Christmas flair to make for one of the project’s most impressive cuts.
Middle of the winter I pull up in a vert
It’s the middle of December she pulled up in a skirt
Santa Claus of the hood
I pull up with the work
They call me East Atlanta Santa
Run up on me get murked
1. “Christmas In Hollis,” RUN DMC (1987)
Appearing in the quasi-holiday film Die Hard (1988), RUN DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis” truly epitomized the sights and sounds of the Christmas season in their Queens, New York neighborhood.
Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images
